Refrigerator.



M. A. MOODY. REFRIGERATOR. APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 25, 1908.

Patented Apr. 6, 1909.-

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MARINUS A. MOODY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

REFRIGERATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 6, 1909.

Application filed August 25, 1908. Serial No. 450,215.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARINUs A. Moonr, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cool: and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Refrigerators, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to refrigerators of that type employing ice as the refrigerating agent, one of the objects of the invention being to provide'a practical and efficient refrigerator which may be easily cleaned and will be economical in the use of ice and which is of the multiple-walled construction and provided with means for conducting dry cold air from the ice chamber to the several compartments of the refrigerator and to the air spaces in the walls of the refrigerator, whereby a constant and thorough circulation of cold air is maintained in and through all parts of the refrigerator.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for automatically discharging any excess accumulation of warm air, and to also provide a novel construction and arrangement of compartments on opposite sides of and below the ice chamber, combined with novel means for keeping all the compartments cool and discharging the drip water with its contained impurities.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of the features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in Which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a fragmentary section showing one of the warm air vents.

The refrigerator contemplated in this invention may be made of any desired size and the respective walls of its body portion, with the exception of its top wall, are each composed of outer, inner and intermediate walls 1, 2, and 3, respectively, said walls being spaced from each other to leave air channels or spaces around all sides of the refrigerator and across the bottom thereof, such channels or spaces being denoted 4 and 5, respectively. The top wall 6 may be either of single or double thickness. A paper insulation or lining 1 is applied to the inner surfaces of the outer we is 1 of all portions of the refrigerator and to the inner surface of the top wall 6.

A pair of vertical partitions 7 extend upward from bottom to top of the refrigerator and divide the interior thereof from front to rear into opposite side storage compartments 8 and an intermediate compartment 9. The upper portion of the intermediate compartment 9 forms an ice chamber 10 within which is removably fitted an ice receptacle 11, the front and rear walls of which are provided with slotted extensions forming handles 12, whereby said receptacle is adapted to be conveniently applied and removed through an opening 13 in the top wall 6 closed by a hinged cover 14. The receptacle rests at its lower end upon'ledges or projections formed on the partitions 7 and is closed at its top by a removable cover 17. A perforated corrugated grate 18 is removably fitted within the receptacle and rests upon the bottom thereof to support the contained block of ice 19. The receptacle is of less width than the distance between the vertical partitions 7, leaving intervening air channels or spaces, and in the sides of said receptacle are formed ports or openings 20 which register when said receptacle is in position with similar ports or openings 21 in the partitions, said openings 21 being arranged throughout the vertical lengths of the partitions to provide for the effective circulation of the cold air from the intermediate compartment and the ice receptacle therein to the said side storage compartments.

The side storage compartments 8 are divided by horizontal shelves 22 into a number of separate compartments, and said. shelves are provided with ports or perforations 23 to allow the air to pass from one to the other, and the arrangement is such that each of the individual side compartments is placed in communication with the central ice chamber through the said ports or perforations 23 and the ports or perforations 20 and 21. Doors 24 of suitable construction are provided to give access to the side compartments through the front of the refrigerator and are adapted to be held closed by suitable latches or fastening devices 25.

It will be observed that the inner and intermediate walls 2 and 3 of the vertical portions of the refrigerator body terminate below the outer walls 1 of said portions and also below the top wall 6, thus bringing the air spaces or channels 4 and 5 between all the Walls in communication at the top of the refrigerator with the side compartments 8, and also with the subdivisions of said compartments and intermediate compartment through the ports or perforations previously described. Ports or perforations 2.6 in the central wall of the bottom of the refrigerator also afford communication between the bottom portions of the channels 4 and 5.

The ice receptacle when fitted in position forms the top of a bottom storage chamber or compartment 27 in the lower portion of the intermediate compartment 9. The bottom wall of this chamber or compartment 2'7 is formed by a horizontal partition 28 which. is arranged a suitable distance above the bottom of the refrigerator body to form a chamber 29 for a drip pan 30. The chamber 27 is especially adapted for the reception of fruits and vegetables to be kept cool, but other substances may be stored therein. A door 31 is arranged at the front of the refrigerator to give access to both compartments 27 and 29 and is adapted to be held closed by a latch or fastening device 32.

Cold air pipes or conductors 33 extend upward from the space or channel 5 at the bottom of the refrigerator into and through the chambers 29 and 27 and into the upper portion of the intermediate or ice compartment 9, the bottomof the ice receptacle and its perforated grating 18 being provided with' openings for the upward passage of said pipes into said receptacle. These pipes are arranged adjacent the rear corners of the respective chambers so as to be out of the way of the contents thereof, and serve to convey the cold air downward from the ice chamber to the bottom portion of the channel or space 5, from which a portion of such cold air circulates outwardly and upwardly through the vertical portions of said channel 5, while another portion passes downward through the ports 26 into the channel 4 and circulates therethrough in a similar manner. A drip pipe 34 is secured to and communicates with the bottom of the ice receptacle and extends downward through the chamber 27 and into the drip chamber 29 through an opening in the partition 28, so as to discharge into the drip pan 30 the water draining through the grating 18 from the melted ice. If desired, this drip pipe may be fixed at its lower end to the partition 28 and adapted to fit at its upper end within an opening in the bottom of the ice receptacle, it being understood that the several pipes 33 and 34 will be arranged to snugly fitopenings in the bot tom of the ice receptacle and to permit of the insertion and removal of the latter without interference. The drip pan is slidably mounted between suitable guide flanges 35 and has projecting horizontally from its rear wall an overflow tube or pipe 36 which is adapted to enter an opening in the flared upper end 37 of a discharge pipe 38, which may conduct the overflow water to any suitable place or receptacle. It will be seen that this overflow tube is arranged near the top of the pan so that it will carry off the floating impurities as well as the overflow water, and it will be understood that said tube is adapted when the pan is inserted and removed to slide into and out of the opening in the pipe 38.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be seen that a simple construction of refrigerator is provided which may be easily kept clean, and that by the arrangement of air chambers all around the sides and bot tom of the refrigerator in communication with all the several compartments provision is made for a thorough circulation of cold dry air through every portion of the refrigerator. It will be understood therefore that a practically uniform temperature will be maintained, and that when any amount of warm air is admitted through the opening of the doors, such air will remain at the top of the refrigerator or pass upward through the described channels, while cold air will descend to take its place and restore normal conditions. In order to provide for thedischarge of any accumulation of warm air, a series of air vents 39 is provided at the top of the refiigerator. Each of these vents comprises a tube 40 extending through and above and below the top wall 6 and secured thereto by 7 suitable fastenings 41 passing through an annular lateral flange-42 on said tube. id ithin this tube is slidably mounted in suitable guides 43 a stem 44 carrying at its upper end a disk valve 45 adapted to close against the top of said tube. The disk is sufficiently heavy to close by gravity and to be elevated and opened under pressure from the air within the refrigerator when a sudden blast of the confined air is produced by the sudden closing or slamming of one of the doors, whereby, through the opening of the doors at intervals and the subsequent closing of the same, a portion at least of the warm air in the top of the refrigerator will be expellechthus preventing the accumulation within the refrigerator of any considerable amount of warm air. A stop 46 is mounted upon the lower end of the stem to engage the lower guide and limit the upward movement of the disk.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new is 1. A refrigerator provided in its top wall with an opening, a vent tube extending through said opening and having a valve seat, guiding means within said tube, a stem slidably engaging said guiding means, a weight carried by the stem, and an upwardly opening valve carried by the stem to engage said seat.

2. A refrigerator provided in its top wall with an opening, a vent tube extending through said opening and provided with a valve seat, guiding means Within said tube, a weighted stem slidable vertically in said guiding means, and an upwardly opening valve carried by the stem to engage said seat.

3. A refrigerator having an opening in its top, and provided on its interior with partitions extending from bottom to top thereof and forming a central refrigerating chamber in communication at its upper end with said opening and side storage compartments terminating at their upper ends below the top of the refrigerating compartment, and also provided. at its bottom and sides with communicating horizontal and vertical air channels, the vertical air channels communicating at their upper ends with the upper portions of the storage compartments, an ice receptacle arranged in the upper portion of the refrigerating compartment and removable through the opening in the top of the refrigerator, said receptacle being provided with openings to register with the openings in the partitions and forming an underlying cooling chamber at the lower end of the refrigerating compartment, air tubes extending upward from the horizontal channel through the cooling compartment into the ice receptacle, doors at the front of the refrigerator affording communication to said. storage compartments and cooling chamber, and a door for closing the opening in the top of the refrigerator.

4. A refrigerator provided with a central refrigerating compartment extending from bottom to top thereof, storage compartments on opposite sides of said refrigerating compartment and in communication throughout their length therewith. through perforations in the intervening walls, said storage compartments terminatingat their upper ends below the top of the refrigerating compartment, inner and outer vertical air channels at the sides of the refrigerator communicating at their upper ends with the spaces above the storage compartments, inner and outer horizontal channels at the bottom of the refrigerator communicating with each other and with the lower ends of the respective inner and outer vertical channel, a perfog rated ice receptacle removably mounted in the upper portion of the refrigerating compartment and forming a cooling chamber in the lower portion of said compartment, a door in the top of the refrigerator giving access to the refrigerating compartment, doors at the front of the refrigerator giving access to the storage compartments and cooling chamber, and air conducting tubes or pipes extending vertically through the cooling chamber between the inner horizontal channel and the ice receptacle.

5. A refrigerator provided with a central vertical refrigerating compartment and side vertical storage compartments, said compart ments being separated by intervening partitions provided with perforations throughout the length thereof, vertical air channels at the sides of the refrigerator communicating at their upper ends with the storage compartments, horizontal air channels at the bottom of the refrigerator in communication with each other and the lower ends of the respective vertical channels, a horizontal partition in the lower portion of the refrigerating compartment and forming a drip chamber at the bottom thereof, a perforated ice receptacle removably mounted in the upper portion of the refrigerating compartment and forming a cooling chamber between the same and said drip chamber, a drip pan removably mounted in the drip chamber, a waste pipe extending from the ice receptacle down through the cooling chamber into said drip chamber, air conducting tubes leading from the horizontal air channels upward through said drip and cooling chambers into the ice receptacle, a door in the top of the refrigerator giving access to the refrigerating compartment, doors at the front of the refrigerator giving access to the storage compartments, and a door at the front of the refrigerator giving access to said drip and cooling chambers.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

MARINUS A. MOODY.

Witnesses 2 EVERETT C. RocKWEL, C. M. STEvENs. 

